1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to vehicle doors, and more specifically to reinforcement of vehicle doors arranged in the side of van-type vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
In the manufacture and sale of automotive vehicles of the type generally referred to as vans, it is customary to provide for ingress and egress to rear portions of the vehicle body through a rearwardly placed side door or doors positioned on at least one side of the vehicle. The doors are generally of two types: sliding doors and center opening, outwardly swinging cargo doors.
Engineering development activity relating to the resistance of body structures of the these van-type vehicles to the imposition of external forces has resulted in the establishment of certain design goals for enhancing the resistance of side vehicle structures to the imposition of such loads, particularly impact loads.
It is known in the prior art to provide reinforcing structure for side doors of vehicles. Particularly well-known are generally horizontally running reinforcing beams in passenger vehicles; U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,317 is exemplary of such designs. It is also known to reinforce side cargo doors in vans through interengaging structure disposed between the two doors. applicant's copending U.S. application No. 07/997,067 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,841 discloses such an approach. The prior art, however, while effective for its intended purpose, reinforces through structure not self-contained in the door and does not make use of the load supporting strength provided by other portions of the vehicle body. In applicant's other design, which is the subject of the copending application '067, the reinforcement takes place solely between the two cargo doors at their interface. This positioning of the interlocking devices of that design necessitates the carrying of the extraneous hook and catch structure on door surfaces exposed to vehicle users when the doors are open. This is considered undesirable in certain applications.
Because of the shortcomings and the prior art, it is considered desirable that the cargo door reinforcement be provided which is integral with the door system and coacts with the vehicle body.